Telephone set capable of initiating facsimile communication without distinctive ringing upon reception of facsimile call signal

ABSTRACT

A telephone set incorporated in a facsimile system using two or more telephone numbers called by respective call signals having different patterns, which are stored in a pattern data memory when the call signals are received and detected in a registering mode and with which the pattern of a call signal received when the telephone set is not in the registering mode is compared to determine the telephone number being called. The registering mode is established by an operator-controlled mode setting device. The patterns of the call signals are detected by a pattern detector in the registering mode, and the detected patterns are registered in the pattern data memory, so that the telephone number called by each call signal is determined by a pattern determining device as a result of comparison of the pattern of each call signal with the registered patterns in the pattern data memory. A selective call signal processing device is operated upon reception of a facsimile call signal in a distinctive ringing ON mode also established by the data input device, so that facsimile communication is initiated without distinctive ringing based on the facsimile call signal.

This is a Division of application Ser. No. 08/348,965 filed Nov. 28,1994 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,313.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates in general to a telephone set (acombination of a telephone transmitter and a telephone receiver) adaptedto receive two or more call signals having different patterns which callrespective telephone numbers. More particularly, the present inventionis concerned with improvements in such telephone set wherein thepatterns of such call signals are registered in relation to thetelephone numbers, so that the telephone number called by each callsignal received from a calling party can be recognized by the telephoneset of a called party.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

There is known a telephone set adapted to utilize a so-called"distinctive ringing service (D/R service)" available from a telephoneexchange company. This telephone set of distinctive ringing type usestwo or more telephone numbers on one telephone line. The distinctiveringing service provides the telephone set with telephone call signalswhich have different patterns as illustrated at (a) through (d) in FIG.17, when the respective telephone numbers are called by a remotetelephone transmitter of the calling party, so that the ringing deviceof the facsimile system of the receiving or called party generatesdifferent types of ringing sound depending upon the telephone numberscalled.

Where such a telephone set of distinctive ringing type is incorporatedas a telephone portion of a facsimile system, one of the telephonenumbers is used exclusively for facsimile communication with a facsimileportion of a remote facsimile system, while the other telephone numberor numbers is/are exclusively used for telephone communication with atelephone portion of the remote facsimile system. The telephone numbercalled by the remote facsimile system of the calling party can berecognized by the specific type of the ringing sound generated accordingto the specific pattern of the appropriate call signal received at thecalled party. Alternatively, one or more telephone sets of distinctiveringing type connected to one telephone line can be effectively used bytwo or more users to which respective different telephone numbers areassigned.

One proposed telephone set of distinctive ringing type includes memorymeans for storing the patterns of the call signals corresponding to therespective telephone numbers, comparing means for comparing the patternof each received call signal with the stored patterns, patterndetermining means for determining the telephone number called by thereceived call signal, on the basis of a comparison by the comparingmeans, and processing means for effecting a processing operationaccording to the telephone number determined by the pattern determiningmeans. Where this telephone set is used in a facsimile system whereinone of the telephone numbers is assigned to receive a facsimile signalfrom the calling party, for example, the pattern of the call signalcorresponding to that facsimile reception telephone number is registeredor stored in memory means as the facsimile reception pattern, so thatthe facsimile signal received with the call signal is automaticallyprocessed for recording of an image represented by the facsimile signal,when the pattern of the received call signal is the same as theregistered facsimile reception pattern. An example of such facsimilesystem is disclosed in JP-A-4-58855.

The facsimile reception pattern of the call signal calling the facsimilereception telephone number is registered by the user by listening to theringing sound generated according to that received call signal. Forexample, a plurality of telephone numbers used for a telephone set ofdistinctive ringing type are called by call signals which have differentpatterns as indicated at (a) through (d) in FIG. 17. One of thesepatterns is selected and registered as the facsimile reception callsignal pattern. The call signal indicated at (a) has only one ON stateper period. The call signal indicated at (b) has two ON states perperiod. The call signal indicated (c) has three ON states per period,which consist of a first short ON-time, a second short ON-time and athird long ON-time. The call signal indicated at (d) has three ON statesper period, which consist of a first short ON-time, a second longON-time and a third short ON-time. To register one of these call signalpatterns as the facsimile reception pattern, the following method isconsidered. That is, all of these patterns are first stored in memorymeans, and the call signal calling the facsimile reception telephonenumber is received from a telephone exchange company upon calling from aremote telephone or facsimile transmitter as the calling party. The userof the telephone set of the called party recognizes the pattern of thereceived signal by listening to the ringing sound generated according tothe ON-OFF pattern of the received call signal, and selects thecorresponding one of the stored call signal patterns as the facsimilereception pattern. This way of registering the facsimile receptionpattern requires the user to simply select one of the stored patternswhich corresponds to the type of the ringing sound generated uponreception of the call signal calling the facsimile reception telephonenumber.

However, it is difficult for the user to correctly distinguish thepattern of the received call signal (facsimile reception call signal)from the patterns of the other call signals, by listening to the ringingsound corresponding to the received call signal. In the example of FIG.17, it is rather difficult to distinguish the three-ON-state patternsindicated at (c) and (d) from each other, since both of these twopatterns have three ON states. Accordingly, the user may incorrectlyrecognize the pattern of the received call signal and selects the wrongpattern as the facsimile reception pattern corresponding to thefacsimile reception telephone number. Described more specifically, it iseasier to distinguish the different patterns (c) and (d) from each otherby listening to the ringing sounds corresponding to these differentpatterns, than by listening to the ringing sound corresponding to onlyone of these patterns. In other words, it is difficult for the user notfamiliar enough with the ringing sounds, to correctly recognize thepattern of the received call signal by simply listening to the ringingsound of the received call signal only. Some telephone exchangecompanies use two or more different two-ON-state call signals which havedifferent combinations of ON-times and OFF-times and which may includethe pattern as indicated at (b) in FIG. 17. In this case, too, the userfeels difficulty in correctly recognizing the pattern of the call signalwhich is received for the purpose of registering the facsimile receptioncall signal pattern. Some users do not even know the patterns of thecall signals.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide atelephone set of distinctive ringing type which permits easy and correctregistration of the pattern of a call signal which calls one oftelephone numbers used for the telephone set.

The above object may be achieved according to one aspect of the presentinvention, which provides a telephone set of distinctive ringing type ofa called party capable of effecting telephone communication with aremote calling party calling one of a plurality of telephone numbers,the plurality of telephone numbers being called by respective callsignals having respective different patterns, the telephone setcomprising: (a) a pattern data memory for storing pattern datarepresentative of the pattern of each of at least one of the callsignals which call the plurality of telephone numbers; (b)operator-controlled means for establishing a registering mode in whichthe pattern data representative of the pattern of the at least one callsignal are stored in the pattern data memory; (c) pattern detectingmeans for detecting the pattern of the at least one call signal when theat least one call signal is received while the telephone set is placedin the registering mode; (d) pattern registering means, operable in theregistering mode, for registering the pattern of the at least one callsignal as detected by the pattern detecting means, in the pattern datamemory as the pattern data in relation to the corresponding telephonenumber; and (e) pattern determining means, operable when the telephoneset is not placed in the registering mode, for comparing the pattern ofa call signal which is currently received, with each pattern representedby the pattern data stored in the pattern data memory, and therebydetermining the telephone number being called by the received callsignal.

In the telephone set of the present invention constructed as describedabove, the pattern of each of at least one call signal calling at leastone telephone number is detected by the pattern detecting means whilethe telephone set is placed in the registering mode established by theoperator-controlled means. In this mode, the detected pattern of thecall signal in question is registered in the pattern data memory by thepattern registering means, in relation to the corresponding telephonenumber. Namely, the call signal corresponding to each telephone numberto be determined by the pattern determining means when the telephone setis placed in the normal telephone communication mode is sent from atelephone exchange company, when the telephone set is placed in theregistering mode, and the pattern of each call signal received in theregistering mode is detected or analyzed by the pattern detecting means,so that the detected pattern of the call signal is registered in thepattern data memory by the pattern registering means. Where thetelephone set is incorporated in a facsimile system of distinctiveringing type, the call signal calling the facsimile reception telephonenumber is received from the telephone exchange company, and the patternof this call signal is registered as the facsimile reception pattern inthe pattern data memory.

The present telephone set is conveniently used by two or more userswhich use respective telephone numbers on the same telephone set. Inthis case, the telephone numbers being called by the respective callsignals can be determined by the pattern determining means on the basisof the pattern of each received call signal as compared with thepatterns of the individual call signals of the respective patternsregistered or stored in the pattern data memory. The patterns of thecall signals registered in the pattern data memory are detected by thepattern detecting means when the call signals are received in theregistering mode.

Thus, the present telephone set is characterized by the patterndetecting means which actually detects or analyzes the pattern of eachcall signal to be registered in the pattern data memory, so that thedetected pattern is registered in the pattern data memory by the patternregistering means. This arrangement does not requires the user or usersto determine or recognize the pattern of the received call signal bylistening to the ringing sound generated according to the call signal.

Where the telephone set is incorporated in a facsimile system, thepattern data memory may store pattern data representative of the patternof the call signal which calls one of the telephone numbers which isexclusively used for receiving a facsimile signal.

Where two or more telephone numbers of the telephone numbers used by thetelephone set are exclusively used by different users, respectively, thepattern data memory preferably store pattern data representative of thepatterns of the call signals which call the telephone numbers used bythe respective users, and the pattern registering means preferablycomprise operator-controlled data input means for designating thetelephone numbers. In this case, the telephone set desirably comprises:a message data memory for storing message data representative of callmessages in relation to the call signals which call the two or moretelephone numbers; message recording means for storing the message datain the message data memory while the telephone set is placed in theregistering mode; message generating means, operable when the telephoneset is not placed in the registering mode, for generating the callmessages according to the message data stored in the message datamemory; and activating means, operable when the telephone set is notplaced in the registering mode, for activating the message generatingmeans to generate one of the call messages which corresponds to thetelephone number which has been determined by the pattern determiningmeans as the telephone number being called by the call signal currentlyreceived.

The message data memory may be a suitable audio memory medium such as anaudio DRAM, and the message generating means may be a suitable voicegenerator. The message recording means may be a microphone provided in atelephone transmitter of the telephone set.

The pattern detecting means may be adapted to measure the times ofalternate on- and off-states in one period of each call signal whosepattern is registered in the pattern data memory.

The object indicated above may also be achieved according to a secondaspect of this invention, which provides a telephone set of distinctiveringing type of a called party capable of effecting telephone andcommunication with a remote calling party calling one of a plurality oftelephone numbers, the plurality of telephone numbers being called byrespective call signals having respective different patterns, thetelephone set comprising: (i) a first pattern data memory for storingpattern data representative of the patterns of the call signals whichcall the plurality of telephone numbers; (ii) a second pattern datamemory for storing the pattern data representative of the pattern ofeach of at least one of the call signals, which pattern data are used todetermine the telephone number being called by a call signal which iscurrently received; (iii) operator-controlled mode setting means forestablishing a registering mode in which the pattern data representativeof the call signal pattern or in patterns are stored in the secondpattern data memory; (iv) operator-controlled data input means, operablein the registering mode, for designating one of the patterns stored inthe first pattern data memory; (v) pattern registering means, operablein the registering mode, for registering the pattern designated by theoperator-controlled data input means, in the second pattern data memoryin relation to the corresponding telephone number; (vi) patternindicating means, operable in the registering mode, for providing anindication of at least one of the patterns of the call signals stored inthe first pattern data memory; and (vii) pattern determining means,operable when the telephone set is not placed in the registering mode,for comparing the pattern of the currently received call signal witheach pattern represented by the pattern data stored in the secondpattern data memory, and thereby determining the telephone number beingcalled by the actually received call signal.

In the telephone set constructed according to the second aspect of thepresent invention, the pattern indicating means provides an indicationof at least one of the patterns of the call signals stored in the firstpattern data memory, when the telephone set is placed in the registeringmode by the operator-controlled mode setting means. The indicationprovided by the pattern indicating means is conveniently used by theuser to register in the second pattern data memory the pattern of atleast one of the call signals corresponding to the telephone numbersused for the telephone set, for example, the pattern of the facsimilereception call signal which calls the telephone number exclusively usedfor receiving a facsimile signal from the remote calling party.

For example, the pattern indicating means may be sound generating meansfor generating a ringing sound corresponding to the pattern or patternsof the call signal or signals stored in the first pattern data memory,recording means for producing a hard copy of the call signal pattern orpatterns, or display means for providing an indication specifying thecall signal pattern or patterns. The sound generating means may be aspeaker provided in a facsimile system in which the present telephoneset is incorporated. The recording means may be an image recorder usedby a facsimile receiver provided such a facsimile system, and thedisplay means may be a liquid crystal display provided such facsimilesystem.

Generally, the call signal whose pattern is registered in the secondpattern data memory is received from a telephone exchange company uponcalling from a remote telephone transmitter or a facsimile transmitterfor the purpose of registering the pattern of that call signal, whilethe telephone set is placed in the registering mode. In the meantime,one of the call signal patterns stored in the first pattern data memoryis selected or designated by the operator-controlled data input means,so that the pattern indicating means provides an indication of thedesignated call signal pattern such as the corresponding ringing soundor a printout of the pattern. The thus indicated call signal pattern iscompared with the pattern of the received call signal, which ispreferably represented by suitable means such as a ringing soundgenerated by suitable sound generating means according to the receivedcall signal. This sound generating means may be utilized as the patternindicating means. In this case, the sound generating means generates theringing sound according to the received call signal and the ringingsound or sounds according to the call signal or signals stored in thefirst pattern data memory.

When the pattern of the call signal received in the registering mode isfound to be the same as the pattern of the call signal which is storedin the first pattern data memory and which is designated by theoperator-controlled data input means, the pattern registering means isactivated to register the pattern of the designated call signal in thesecond pattern data memory.

Where the present telephone set is incorporated in a facsimile system,the pattern of the call signal (facsimile reception call signal) whichcalls the telephone number exclusively used to receive a facsimilesignal from a remote facsimile system is registered in the secondpattern data memory, for example. The present telephone set is alsoadvantageous where it is used by two or more users, which use respectivetelephone numbers on the telephone set. In this case, the patterns ofthe call signals calling the respective telephone numbers are registeredin the second pattern data memory in relation to the correspondingtelephone numbers. In this case, too, the respective call signals aresent from the telephone exchange company in response to calls from aremote facsimile transmitter while the telephone set is in theregistering mode, for the purpose of registering the patterns of thecall signals assigned to call the telephone numbers.

Preferably, the pattern indicating means indicates the on and off timesof the call signal pattern or patterns stored in the first pattern datamemory, which are desirably compared by the user with the pattern of theringing sound generated according to the actually received call signalwhen the call signal pattern or patterns is/are registered in the secondpattern data memory by means of the pattern registering means. When thetwo or more call pattern signals are registered, the pattern registeringmeans preferably comprises operator-controlled means for specifying ordesignating the telephone numbers corresponding to the call signalpatterns to be registered, so that the call signal patterns areregistered in relation to the corresponding telephone numbers.

It will be understood that the pattern indicating means providedaccording to the second aspect of the invention permits easy andaccurate registration of the pattern or patterns of the call signal orsignals for determining the telephone number being currently called by acall signal actually received from the calling party during normalreception mode of the telephone set.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of this inventionwill be better understood by reading the following detailed descriptionof presently preferred embodiments of the invention, when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a facsimile system of distinctiveringing type constructed according to one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an operator's control and display panelprovided in the facsimile system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view indicating some of functions that can be set byFUNCTION and SELECTOR keys on the control and display panel of FIG. 2;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are flow charts illustrating a routine for registering thepattern of a facsimile reception call signal for facsimile reception inthe facsimile system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a sub-routine executed in step S3 ofthe routine of FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a routine executed upon reception ofa call signal;

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an interruption routine executedwhen the facsimile system is placed in a D/R ON mode;

FIGS. 9(a) and ((b) are views indicating memory areas of EEPROM andaudio DRAM used in a second embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 10 is a view indicating examples of the contents of the memoryareas of the EEPROM and audio DRAM of FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b);

FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating a sub-routine executed in step S14of the routine of FIGS. 4 and 5 to store the call signal patterns in theEEPROM of FIG. 9(a) and 9(b);

FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating a routine for storing call messagesin the audio DRAM of FIG. 9(b);

FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating an operation performed when thefacsimile system according to the second embodiment is placed in D/R ONmode and when a negative decision (NO) is obtained in step R4 of theroutine of FIG. 7;

FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating a routine for registering thepattern of the facsimile reception call signal in a third embodiment ofthis invention;

FIG. 15 is a flow chart corresponding to that of FIG. 14, showing afourth embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 16 is a view illustrating a hard copy of different patterns of callsignals as printed by an image recorder of the facsimile system in thefourth embodiment; and

FIGS. 17(a)-17(d) are a view showing examples of call signals havingdifferent patterns.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring first to the block diagram of FIG. 1, reference numeral 10generally denotes a facsimile system constructed according to oneembodiment of this invention. The facsimile system 10 is capable ofperforming selective telephone communication and facsimile communicationwith a remote facsimile system through a telephone line, more precisely,capable of transmitting and receiving a telephone or sound signal and afacsimile or image signal to and from the remote facsimile system. Thefacsimile system 10 incorporates: a telephone hand set 12 for thetelephone communication; an image recorder 14 including a printer forrecording an image on a recording medium on the basis of a facsimilesignal received from the remote facsimile transmitter; and an imagereader 16 including a CCD (charge-coupled device) image sensor orscanner. A telephone line connected to a telephone exchange company isconnected to a network control unit (NCU) 18. This NCU 18 is connectedto the hand set 12, a MODEM for modulating and demodulating an facsimilesignal (image or picture signal), and a gate array (GA) 22. The GA 22incorporates various logic circuits for performing respective functions,including: activating a speaker 26 according to a drive signal receivedfrom a central processing unit (CPU) 24; controlling the image reader16; and transferring image data from the image reader 16 to the CPU 24.The GA 22 receives from the telephone line a call signal CI (callingindicator) and various other signals through the NCU 18, so that thespeaker 26 is operated to generate a ringing sound according to ON andOFF states of the received call signal CI as indicated in FIG. 17 by wayof example. The GA 22 is also adapted to detect the frequency of thereceived signals.

To the CPU 24, there are connected through respective data bus lines theMODEM 20 and GA 22 described above, a random-access memory (RAM) 28, aread-only memory (ROM) 30, an electrically erasable programmableread-only memory (EEPROM) 32, an audio DRAM 34, a panel control CPU 36and a clock generator 38. The CPU 24 operates according to controlprograms stored in the ROM 30 while utilizing a temporary data storagefunction of the RAM 28. The CPU 24 receives a clock signal having apredetermined frequency from the clock generator 38. The EEPROM 32 iscapable of storing data such that the stored data are electricallyerasable as needed. The EEPROM 32 has a memory area for storing patterndata representative of a predetermined pattern of a facsimile receptioncall signal CI which is assigned to call a telephone number exclusivelyused for receiving a facsimile signal from a remote facsimiletransmitter of a calling party. The audio DRAM 34 is used in a telephoneanswering mode (hereinafter referred to as "TAD mode") which is selectedwhen the facsimile system is not attended by the user. The audio DRAM 34has a memory area for storing an outgoing message (OGM) to betransmitted to a remote telephone receiver, and a memory area forstoring an incoming message (ICM) received from a remote telephonetransmitter.

The panel control CPU 36 is adapted to control an operator's control anddisplay panel 40 according to signals from the CPU 24, and transmitoutput signals of the panel 40 to the CPU 24. An example of the panel 40is illustrated in FIG. 2. In this example, the panel 40 includes:numeral and function keys 42 generally known as "TEN keys"; a FUNCTIONkey 44; SELECTOR keys 46; a MODE key 48; and a display 50 such as aliquid crystal display. The numeral and function keys 42 are used toenter data such as telephone numbers, and include ten numeral keysrepresentative of numerals "0" through "9". The FUNCTION key 44 is usedtogether with the SELECTOR keys 46, to achieve or change variousfunctional settings as indicated in FIG. 3. As described below in detailwith respect to the setting or selection of D/R modes, a functionalsetting is accomplished by first pressing the FUNCTION key 44 and thenpressing appropriate ones of the SELECTOR keys 46 in a predeterminedorder.

In the present embodiment, a plurality of telephone numbers are used forthe facsimile system 10 so that a distinctive ringing service (D/Rservice) by a telephone exchange company as described above in theBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION is available in the facsimile system 10.Described more specifically, a call signal CI having a specific pattern(ON/OFF pattern as indicated in FIG. 17) is received to call each of thetelephone numbers, and one of the call signals is assigned to call thetelephone number which is exclusively used for the facsimile signalreception by the facsimile system 10. That is, the pattern of thefacsimile reception call signal is registered as the facsimile receptionpattern which calls the telephone number exclusively used for thefacsimile signal reception. When a call signal CI is received by thefacsimile system 10, the CPU 24 determines whether the pattern of thereceived call signal CI is the same as the registered facsimilereception pattern, so that a facsimile signal transmitted from a remotefacsimile transmitter with the call signal CI is automatically receivedand processed for recording the corresponding image by the imagerecorder 14 if the pattern of the received call signal CI is the same asthe registered facsimile reception pattern, as described below indetail.

For the facsimile system 10 to receive the D/R service, the facsimilereception pattern of the call signal CI must be registered while thesystem 10 is placed in a D/R SET mode as described below by reference tothe flow chart of FIGS. 4 and 5. With the pattern of the facsimilereception call signal registered, the above-indicated automaticfacsimile reception function is available when the system 10 is placedin a D/R ON mode (when an affirmative decision is obtained in step R2 ofthe flow chart of FIG. 7 as described below). When the system 10 isplaced in a D/R OFF mode, the determination regarding the pattern of thereceived call signal CI is not effected.

Thus, there are three D/R modes: D/R ON mode; D/R OFF mode and D/R SETmode. To register the pattern of the facsimile reception call signal CIfor utilizing the D/R service, the D/R SET mode must be selected. Toselect one of the D/R modes, a function setting mode must be selected bypressing the FUNCTION key 44. Then, the keys "6" and "7" of the SELECTORkeys 46 are pressed in this order, to select "6. TEL OPTION" of the MAINITEMS and "7. DISTINCTIVE" of the SUB-ITEMS in a function tableillustrated in FIG. 3. With the keys "6" and "7" pressed, the display 50provides an indication "7. DISTINCTIVE". In this condition, the key "7"labelled "SET" of the SELECTOR keys 46 is pressed, and the currentlyselected or established D/R mode is displayed on the display 50. Thatis, the displays 50 provides indications "DISTINCTIVE: OFF","DISTINCTIVE: ON" and "DISTINCTIVE: SET" when the D/R ON, D/R OFF andD/R SET modes are currently selected, respectively. The selected D/Rmode is changed each time the key "6" or "10" of the SELECTOR keys 46 ispressed. The keys "6" and "10" are used as shift keys. When the key "7"labelled "SET" of the SELECTOR keys 46 is pressed when the desired D/Rmode is indicated on the display 50, that D/R mode is selected orestablished as the effective D/R mode. However, the D/R ON mode cannotbe displayed or selected unless the facsimile reception pattern of thecall signal CI has been registered in the manner described below.

By pressing a STOP key 52 after pressing of the SET key "7" of theSELECTOR keys 46, the control goes out of the function setting mode andreturns to a normal operation mode for telephone and facsimile receptionand transmission. In the normal operation mode, the display 50 providesa predetermined indication such as the current time when the D/R ON orD/R OFF mode is selected. However, the display 50 provides an indication"D/R SET MODE" when the D/R SET mode is currently selected. The RAM 28stores data indicative of the currently selected D/R mode of the system10.

The MODE key 48 is used to select one of reception modes of thefacsimile system 10, namely, automatic facsimile reception mode(hereinafter referred to as "AUTO mode"), selective facsimile/telephonereception mode (hereinafter referred to as "F/T mode"), telephoneanswering mode (hereinafter referred to as "TAD mode") and manualreception mode (hereinafter referred to as "MANUAL mode"). Thesereception modes will be described later by reference to the flow chartsof FIGS. 7-9. The currently selected reception mode is changed each timethe MODE key 48 is pressed. When the AUTO mode is selected, a lightemitting diode 58 is on. When the F/T mode is selected, a light emittingdiode 60 is on. When the TAD mode is selected, the diodes 58, 60 areboth on. When the MANUAL mode is selected, the diodes 58, 60 are bothoff. The RAM 28 also stores data indicative of the currently selectedreception mode of the system 10.

Referring next to the flow charts of FIGS. 4-6, there will be describeda routine which is executed by the CPU 24 to register the pattern of thefacsimile reception call signal CI corresponding to the telephone numberexclusively used for facsimile signal reception. This routine can beexecuted only after the D/R SET mode is selected by using the FUNCTIONkey 44 and the SELECTOR keys 46 as described above. With the facsimilesystem 10 thus placed in the D/R SET mode, the call signal CI having aspecific facsimile reception pattern to be registered is received from atelephone exchange company in response to a call from a remote telephoneor facsimile transmitter, for the purpose of registering the facsimilereception pattern. As a result, an affirmative decision (YES) isobtained in the first step S1 of the pattern registering routine ofFIGS. 4 and 5, and the control flow goes to step S2. Step S1 isrepeatedly implemented until the call signal CI is received by thefacsimile system 10. The call signals CI corresponding to the respectivetelephone numbers used by the facsimile system 10 have differentpatterns (ON-OFF patterns) as indicated at (a) through (d) in FIG. 17 byway of example. All of the call signals CI have a predeterminedfrequency in the ON state, and therefore each call signal CI receivedcan be recognized as the call signal calling the appropriate telephonenumber.

When the call signal CI having the facsimile reception patterncorresponding to the telephone number used exclusively for the facsimilesignal reception by the facsimile system 10 is received, step S2 isimplemented to activate the display 50 to provide an indication "CALLSIGNAL RECEIVED", and activate the speaker 26 to generate a ringingsound corresponding to the pattern of the received call signal CI. Then,the control flow goes to step S3 to execute a sub-routine for detectingor analyzing the pattern of the received call signal CI.

The sub-routine of step S3 is illustrated in the flow chart of FIG. 6.This sub-routine is initiated with step S3-1 to determine whether thecall signal CI is in the ON state or not. This determination is madebased on the frequency of the received call signal. If the call signalCI is in the ON state, step S3-2 is implemented to increment a counterC(ON). If the call signal CI is in the OFF state, step S3-3 isimplemented to increment a counter C(OFF). These counters C(ON) andC(OFF) are both reset to zero before the routine of FIGS. 4-5 isexecuted, and also in steps S3-8 and S3-6, respectively. In the mainroutine of FIGS. 4-5, steps S3, S4 and S9 are repeatedly implemented ata predetermined cycle time until an affirmative decision (YES) isobtained in step S4 or S9. That is, the sub-routine of FIG. 6 isrepeatedly executed at the predetermined cycle time, and the counterC(ON) or C(OFF) is selectively incremented each time the sub-routineS3-1 is repeatedly executed. Thus, the ON-time and OFF-time of thereceived call signal CI are measured in the form of the counts of thecounters C(ON) and C(OFF). In other words, the contents of the countersC(ON) and C(OFF) represent the ON- and OFF-times of the call signal CI,namely, the pattern of the call signal CI.

Step S3-2 and S3-3 are followed by step S3-4 to determine again whetherthe call signal CI is in the ON state or not. The decision obtained instep S3-1 may be utilized in this step S3-4. If an affirmative decision(YES) is obtained, the control flow goes to step S3-5 to determinewhether the state of the call signal CI has been just turned from OFF toON, that is, is changed to ON in the present cycle of execution of thesub-routine of FIG. 6 (routine of FIGS. 4 and 5). This determination ismade on the basis of the content of a flag indicating the state of thecall signal CI in the last cycle. If an affirmative decision (YES) isobtained in step S3-5, step S3-6 is implemented to store in the RAM 28data representative of the content or count of the counter C(OFF), thatis, the OFF time of the call signal CI, and then reset the counterC(OFF) to zero. If a negative decision (NO) is obtained in step S3-5,that is, if the call signal CI remains ON, the sub-routine of FIG. 6 isterminated, and the control flow goes to step S4 of the main routine. Ifa negative decision (NO) is obtained in step S3-4, that is, if the stateof the call signal CI is currently OFF, the control flow goes to stepS3-7 to determine whether the state of the call signal CI has been justturned from ON to OFF, that is, is changed to OFF in the present cycle.This determination is also made on the basis of the flag indicating thestate of the call signal in the last cycle. If an affirmative decision(YES) is obtained in step S3-7, step S3-8 is implemented to store in theRAM 28 data representative of the content or count of the counter C(ON),that is, the ON time of the call signal CI, and then reset the counterC(ON) to zero. If a negative decision (NO) is obtained in step S3-8,namely, if the call signal CI remains OFF, the sub-routine of FIG. 6 isterminated, and the control flow goes to step S4 of the main routine.

Step S3 described above by reference to FIG. 6 is followed by step S4 todetermine whether the two periods of the call signal CI have beenanalyzed. If an affirmative decision (YES) is obtained in step S4, thecontrol flow goes to step S5. If a negative decision (NO) is obtained instep S4, the control flow goes to step S9. The determination in step S4is made by checking if the RAM 28 has stored the pattern datarepresentative of two occurrences of an ON-OFF pattern consisting of thealternate ON and OFF times (states) as indicated at (a)-(d) in FIG. 17.However, the determination may be made by checking if two long OFFstates of the call signal CI have been detected. In this respect, it isnoted that all the call signal C have one comparatively long OFF statetime. If a negative decision (NO) is obtained in step S4, the controlflow goes to step S9 to determine whether the telephone hand set 12 hasbeen picked up or a HOOK key 54 on the panel 40 has been pressed. Thehand set 12 may be picked up by the user or the HOOK key 54 may bepressed by the user if the user does not recognize that the facsimilesystem 10 is now placed in the D/R SET mode. If a negative decision (NO)is obtained in step S9, the control flow goes back to step S3. If thehand set 12 has been picked up or the HOOK key 54 is turned ON bymistake by the user, step S10 is implemented to turn off the speaker 26,and connect the facsimile system 10 as the called party to a remotefacsimile system as the calling party. Step S10 is followed by step S15(FIG. 5).

In step S5 which is implemented if the affirmative decision (YES) isobtained in step S4, the display 50 provides a message "PICK UP HAND SET12 TO REGISTER FACSIMILE RECEPTION SIGNAL PATTERN". Step S5 is followedby step S6 to determine whether the hand set 12 has been picked up orthe HOOK key 54 has been pressed. If an affirmative decision (YES) isobtained in step S6, the control flow goes to step S7 to turn off thespeaker 26 and connect the facsimile system 10 to the remote facsimilesystem. Then, step S8 is implemented to activate the display 50 toprovide a message "REGISTER FACSIMILE RECEPTION CALL SIGNAL PATTERN".Step S8 is followed by step S11 (FIG. 5) to determine whether the handset 12 has been returned in place or the HOOK key 54 has been pressedagain by mistake by the user. If an affirmative decision (YES) isobtained in step S11, the control flow goes to step S17 to disconnectthe facsimile system 10 from the remote facsimile system, and one cycleof execution of the routine is terminated. If a negative decision (NO)is obtained in step S11, the control flow goes to step S12 to determinewhether the STOP key 52 has been pressed. If the key 52 is on, step S12is followed by step S15. The STOP key 52 is used to cancel theregistration of the pattern of the call signal CI as detected oranalyzed in step S3, for some reason or other. For instance, the userpresses the STOP key 52 if the user finds that the ringing soundgenerated by the speaker 26 in step S2 is different from that of thecall signal assigned to call the telephone number exclusively used forthe facsimile signal reception, namely, the call signal CI receivedcalls the telephone number which is not exclusively used for thefacsimile signal reception. If a negative decision (NO) is obtained instep S12, the control flow goes to step S13 to determine whether a STARTkey 56 has been pressed. Steps S11-S13 are repeatedly implemented untilan affirmative decision (YES) is obtained in any one of these steps. Ifan affirmative decision is obtained in step S13, step S14 is implementedto store in the EEPROM 32 the pattern of the call signal CI as detectedin step S3, more precisely, the ON and OFF times corresponding to oneperiod of the call signal CI, which are stored in the RAM 28. Thispattern is stored as the pattern of the facsimile reception call signalCI assigned to call the telephone number exclusively used for thefacsimile signal reception. With step S14 completed, the D/R mode of thefacsimile system 10 is automatically changed from the D/R SET mode tothe D/R ON mode.

Step S14 is followed by step S15 to activate the display 50 to providean indication "MANUAL MODE", and step S16 to permit telephonecommunication with the remote party calling the appropriate telephonenumber, without activating the speaker 26. In this respect, it is notedthat the hand set 12 has already been picked up or the HOOK key 54 hasalready been pressed in step S6. In this MANUAL reception mode, thefacsimile system 10 may receive and process a facsimile signal from theremote facsimile transmitter, if the START key 56 is pressed, asdescribed later with respect to step R11 of FIG. 7.

When the facsimile system 10 is placed in the D/R ON mode or D/R OFFmode (and in one of the four reception modes (AUTO, F/T, TAD andMANUAL), a reception processing routine of FIG. 7 is executed to processthe received call signal CI and a facsimile or telephone signal. Theroutine of FIG. 7 is initiated with step R1 to determine whether thecall signal CI has been received, as in step S1 of the routine of FIGS.4-5. If an affirmative decision (YES) is obtained in step R1, thecontrol flow goes to step R2 to determine whether the facsimile system10 is placed in the D/R ON more. This determination is made on the basisof the data stored in the RAM 28, which represent the currently selectedD/R mode. If the D/R ON mode is currently selected, step R3 isimplemented. If the D/R ON mode is not selected, that is, if the D/R OFFmode is selected, the control flow goes to step R6.

If the D/R ON mode is currently selected, a D/R ON mode interruptionroutine of FIG. 8 is executed. This interruption routine includes stepsW1 through W8 which are identical with steps S3-1 through S3-8 of thesub-routine of FIG. 6, so that the ON and OFF times of the received callsignal CI as represented by the contents of the counters C(ON) andC(OFF) are stored in the RAM 28, in steps W6 and W8. Steps W6 and W8 arefollowed by step W9 to determine whether the number of the stored ONtimes or OFF times or the total number of the stored ON and OFF times isequal to a predetermined number, namely, equal to the number of the ONtimes and/or OFF times of the pattern of the facsimile reception callsignal as represented by the data stored in the EEPROM 32 in step S14(FIG. 5). If an affirmative decision (YES) is obtained in step W9, thepresent interruption routine is terminated, and the control goes to stepR3 of the reception routine.

The call signal indicated at (a) in FIG. 17 has one ON-time and oneOFF-time (long OFF-time). The call signal indicated at (b) in FIG. 17has two ON-times and two OFF-times (including one long OFF-time), whilethe call signals indicated at (c) and (d) in FIG. 17 have three ON-timesand three OFF-times (including one long OFF-time). If the signal patternindicated at (a) is registered (by the routine of FIGS. 5-6) as thefacsimile reception pattern, an affirmative decision (YES) is obtainedin step W9 when only one ON-time, only one OFF-time or only one ON-timeand only one OFF-time has/have been detected. If the affirmativedecision (YES) is obtained in step W9, the control flow goes to step R3.If a negative decision (NO) is obtained in step W9, step W10 isimplemented to determine whether the second long OFF-time has beendetected. The affirmative decision (YES) should be obtained in step W9before the two long OFF-times have been detected. In other words, theaffirmative decision (YES) is usually obtained in step W9 before anaffirmative decision (YES) is obtained in step W10. If the affirmativedecision is obtained in step W10 before the affirmative decision isobtained in step W9, this means that the pattern of the call signalreceived is not the registered facsimile reception pattern. In thiscase, a negative decision (NO) is obtained in step R4, withoutimplementing step R3.

The interruption routine of FIG. 8 is followed by step R3 of thereception processing routine of FIG. 7 wherein the ON- and OFF-timesstored in the RAM 28 in steps W6 and W8 are compared with the ON- andOFF-times stored in the EEPROM 32, that is, the ON- and OFF-times of theregistered facsimile reception pattern. If two or more ON-times orOFF-times are stored in the EEPROM 32, the comparison is made for eachof those ON- or OFF-times. If the ON- and OFF-times in the RAM 28 havethe same pattern as that of the ON- and OFF-times stored in the EEPROM32, an affirmative decision (YES) is obtained in step R4. However, thedetermination in step R4 may be made without checking all of theON-times or OFF-times or ON- and OFF-times have been checked forcoincidence with those of the registered pattern, since the differentcall signals have different combinations of ON- and OFF-times. If theaffirmative decision (YES) is obtained in step R4, the control flow goesto step R5 for automatic reception and processing of a facsimile signalif received from the remote facsimile transmitter, irrespective of thecurrently selected reception mode, so that an image is recorded on therecording medium by the image recorder 14 according to the processedfacsimile signal.

The present embodiment is characterized by the provision of step R4, andsteps which are implemented if a negative decision (NO) is obtained instep R4. If the negative decision (NO) is obtained in step R4, thecontrol flow goes to step R6 to determine whether the facsimile system10 is now placed in the AUTO reception mode. This determination is madeon the basis of the data stored in the RAM 28, which represent thecurrently selected reception mode. If an affirmative decision (YES) isobtained in step R6, step R7 is implemented to activate the speaker 26to generate a predetermined number of ringing sounds, and then step R5is implemented to automatically receive and process the facsimile signalas described above. If the hand set 12 is picked up or the HOOK key 54is pressed by the user after the ringing sounds are generated in stepR7, step similar to step S16 of the routine of FIGS. 4-5 is implementedfor permitting telephone communication with a remote telephonetransmitter/receiver. This aspect is not shown in the flow chart of FIG.7. If a negative decision (NO) is obtained in step R6, the control flowgoes to step R8 to determine whether the facsimile system 10 is placedin the F/T reception mode. If an affirmative decision (YES) is obtainedin step R8, the control flow goes to step R9 in which the facsimilesystem 10 as the called party is first connected to the remote facsimilesystem as the calling party, and the speaker 26 is activated to generatea ringing sound for a predetermined time. If the hand set 12 is pickedup or the HOOK key 54 is pressed in response to the ringing sound,telephone communication with the calling party is made possible. If thehand set 12 is not picked up or the HOOK key 54 is not pressed for morethan a predetermined time, a facsimile signal following the call signalis processed for the image recorder 14 to record an image represented bythe facsimile signal.

Referring back to the reception processing routine of FIG. 7, thecontrol flow goes to step R10 if a negative decision (NO) is obtained instep R8. Step R10 is provided to determine whether the facsimile system10 is now placed in the MANUAL reception mode. If the MANUAL receptionmode is selected, step R11 is implemented to effect manual receptionprocessing, which includes activation of the speaker 26 to generate aringing sound corresponding to the pattern of the call signal CI (whichis not the registered facsimile reception pattern). According to thismanual reception processing, the speaker 26 is turned off and telephonecommunication with a remote telephone transmitter/receiver is permittedif the hand set 12 is taken up or the HOOK key 54 is pressed. If theSTART key 56 is pressed, a facsimile signal if received is processed forrecording. If a negative decision (NO) is obtained in step R10, thismeans that the facsimile system 10 is placed in the TAD reception mode,which is usually selected when the system 10 is left unattended by theuser. That is, the system 10 incorporates an automatic telephoneanswering device, and the audio DRAM 34, which are used when the system10 is placed in the TAD reception mode. When this TAD mode isestablished, step R12 is implemented to effect TAD processing. Accordingto this TAD processing, the facsimile system 10 is connected to theremote facsimile system, and a facsimile signal received following thecall signal is automatically processed for the image recorder 14 torecord an image represented by the facsimile signal if the facsimilesystem 10 receives a facsimile signal transmission signal CNG (callingtone signal) indicating that the facsimile signal will be transmittedfrom the remote facsimile system, or a facsimile signal processingsignal ID which requests the facsimile system 10 to process thefacsimile signal. If none of these signals CNG and ID are received, thespeaker 26 is activated to generate a ringing sound for a predeterminedtime. If the hand set 12 is picked up or the HOOK key 54 is pressed inresponse to the ringing sound, telephone communication with the callingparty is made possible. If the hand set 12 is not picked up or the HOOKkey 54 is not pressed, the speaker 26 is turned off, and an outgoingmessage stored in the audio DRAM 34 is transmitted to the remotetelephone receiver, while an incoming message received from the remotetelephone transmitter is stored in the audio DRAM 34.

The present facsimile system 10 may be easily placed in the D/R SET modeby using the FUNCTION key 44 and the SELECTOR keys 46, so that thepattern of the call signal CI calling the telephone number assigned toreceive the facsimile signal from a remote facsimile system isregistered as the facsimile reception pattern in a pattern data memoryin the form of the EEPROM 32. In this case, the call signal CI havingthat facsimile reception pattern to be registered is received from thetelephone exchange company. This procedure for registering the patternof the facsimile reception call signal does not require the user torecognize the pattern of the received call signal while listening to theringing sound generated in response to the received call signal.

In the present invention, the EEPROM 32 functions as pattern data memoryfor storing pattern data representative of the pattern of the facsimilereception call signal CI, and the FUNCTION key 44 and SELECTOR keys 46constitute operator-controlled means for establishing a registering modein the form of the D/R SET mode in which the pattern of the facsimilereception call signal can be stored in the pattern data memory. Further,portions of the CPU 24, RAM 28 and ROM 30 assigned to implement step S3of FIG. 3 (i.e., sub-routine of FIG. 6) constitute pattern detectingmeans for detecting the pattern of the facsimile reception call signalwhen this call signal is received while the facsimile system 10 isplaced in the registering mode or D/R SET mode. It is also noted thatportions of the CPU 24, RAM 28 and ROM 30 assigned to implement step S14of FIG. 5 constitute pattern registering means, which is operable in theregistering mode, for registering the pattern of the facsimile receptioncall signal as detected by the pattern detecting means in step S3, inthe pattern data memory 32 as the pattern data in relation to thefacsimile reception telephone number. Further, portions of the CPU 24,RAM 28 and ROM 30 assigned to implement steps R3 and R4 of FIG. 7 andthe interruption routine of FIG. 8 constitute pattern determining means,operable when the facsimile system 10 is not placed in the D/R SET mode,for comparing the pattern of a received call signal, with each patternrepresented by the pattern data stored in the pattern data memory 32,and thereby determining the telephone number being called by thereceived call signal.

Referring next to FIGS. 9-13, there will be described a secondembodiment of the present invention.

The facsimile system according to this second embodiment uses EEPROM 70AND audio DRAM 72 in place of the EEPROM 32 and audio DRAM 34 used inthe first embodiment. As indicated in FIG. 9(a), the EEPROM 70 has fourmemory areas corresponding to registration numbers 0! through 3!. Thefirst memory area corresponding to the registration number 0! is usedfor storing the facsimile reception call signal pattern corresponding tothe facsimile reception telephone number, while the second, third andfourth memory areas corresponding to the registration numbers 1!, 2! and3! are used for storing the patterns of the other call signals used fortelephone communication. On the other hand, the audio DRAM 72 has fourmemory areas, namely, areas for storing an outgoing message (OGM) and anincoming message (ICM) as described above with respect to step R12, anarea for storing a memorandum message, and a call message area forstoring call messages, as indicated in FIG. 9(b). The call message areahas three sub-areas corresponding to registration numbers 1!, 2! and 3!,for storing respective call messages corresponding to the respectivetelephone numbers.

As indicated above, the distinctive ringing service available from atelephone exchange company permits two or more users to use differenttelephone numbers on a single facsimile system or telephone set or twoor more facsimile systems or telephone sets connected to a singletelephone line. Since the different ringing sounds are generatedaccording to the different patterns of the respective call signals whichcall the respective telephone numbers, the users can know who receivetelephone calls or facsimile messages. However, the users usually feeldifficulty in distinguishing the telephone numbers being called, bymeans of the ringing sounds. To assist the users in this respect, thecall messages are provided by the speaker 26, informing the users of therecipient of a telephone call or facsimile transmission.

Suppose three telephone numbers 111!, 2222! and 3333! are used for onefacsimile system used by Messrs. A and B, the telephone number 1111! isused exclusively for facsimile reception, while the telephone numbers2222! and 3333! are used for telephone communication exclusively by Mr.A and Mr. B, respectively, for example. In this case, the pattern of thecall signal calling the facsimile reception telephone number 1111! isregistered as the facsimile reception pattern in the memory areacorresponding to the registration number 0! of the EEPROM 70, asindicated in FIG. 10. In the memory area corresponding to theregistration number 1! of the EEPROM 70, the pattern of the call signalcalling the telephone number 2222! used by Mr. A is registered. In thesub-area corresponding to the registration number 1! of the call messagearea of the audio DRAM 72, there is stored a suitable call message, forexample, "Mr. A, you have a phone call.". Similarly, the pattern of thecall signal calling the telephone number 3333! used by Mr. B isregistered in the memory area corresponding to the registration number2!, while a suitable call message such as "Mr. B, you have a phonecall." is stored in the sub-area corresponding to the registrationnumber 2! of the call message area of the audio DRAM 72, as alsoindicated in FIG. 10. Any call messages desired by the users can bestored in the call message area of the audio DRAM 72.

The patterns of the call signals corresponding to the respectivetelephone numbers may be registered or stored in the EEPROM 70, in theroutine of FIGS. 4 and 5 executed while the facsimile system is placedin the D/R SET mode, in substantially the same manner as described abovewith respect to the first embodiment. In the present second embodiment,however, the patterns of the four call signals are registered in therespective areas of the EEPROM 70. To this end, step s14 of FIG. 5 isformulated as a sub-routine as illustrated in the flow chart of FIG. 11.The sub-routine of FIG. 11 is initiated with step S14-1 to activate thedisplay 50 to provide a display "ENTER REGISTRATION NUMBER 0!, 1!, 2! OR3!". Step S14-1 is followed by step S14-2 to determine whether any dataare keyed in, more specifically, any of the numeral keys 42corresponding to the numerals "0" through "3" has been pressed. When thepattern of the call signal calling the facsimile reception telephonenumber 1111! is registered, the numeral key 42 corresponding the numeral"0" is pressed. Similarly, the numeral keys 42 corresponding to thenumerals "1" and "2" are pressed to register the patterns of the callsignals calling the telephone numbers 2222! and 3333! used by Messrs. Aand B, respectively. If any numeral key 42 corresponding to the numeral"0", "1" or "2" is pressed, the control flow goes to step S14-3 todetermine whether the numeral key 42 corresponding to the numeral "0"has been pressed. If an affirmative decision (YES) is obtained in stepS14-3, the control flow goes to step S14-4 in which the pattern of thefacsimile reception call signal detected in step S3 (sub-routine of FIG.6) is stored in the memory area corresponding to the registration number0! of the EEPROM 70. If a negative decision (NO) is obtained in stepS14-3, the control flow goes to step S14-5 in which the pattern of thecall signal stored in the RAM 28 in step S3 is stored in the memory areaof the EEPROM 70 which corresponds to the registration number designatedin step S14-2.

To record or store the call messages in the audio DRAM 72, the facsimilesystem 10 is placed in a MESSAGE RECORDING mode. This mode can beestablished by first pressing the FUNCTION key 44, and then the keys "6"and "8" of the SELECTOR keys 46 in this order to select "6. TEL OPTION"of the MAIN ITEMS and "8. RING MESSAGE" of the SUB-ITEMS in the functiontable illustrated in FIG. 3. With the keys "6" and "8" pressed, thedisplay 50 provides an indication "8. RING MESSAGE". In this condition,the key "7" labelled "SET" of the SELECTOR keys 46 is pressed, and thefacsimile system 10 is placed in the MESSAGE RECORDING mode in whichcall messages can be stored in the audio DRAM 72 in a routineillustrated in the flow chart of FIG. 12.

The routine of FIG. 12 is initiated with step Q1 in which the display 50is activated to provide a display "ENTER REGISTRATION NUMBER 1!, 2! OR3!". Step Q1 is followed by step Q2 to determine whether any of thenumeral keys 42 corresponding to the numerals "0" through "3" has beenpressed. When the call message to be given to Mr. A who uses thetelephone number 2222! is recorded, the key 42 corresponding to thenumeral "1" is pressed. When the call message to be given to Mr. B whouses the telephone number 3333! is recorded, the key 42 corresponding tothe numeral "2" is pressed. With the key 42 corresponding to the numeral"1" or "2" is pressed, step Q3 is implemented to active the display 50to provide a display "PICK UP HAND SET", to prompt the user to pick upthe telephone hand set 12. Then, step Q4 is implemented to determinewhether the hand set 12 has been picked up. If an affirmative decision(YES) is obtained in step Q4, the control flow goes to step Q5 in whichthe display 50 provides a display "MESSAGE UNDER RECORDING: 00/20",which means that a call message may be recorded through a microphone ofthe hand set 12. The "00" of the "00/20" indicates a time lapse inseconds after the start of the message recording, and the "/20"indicates that the maximum time of the call message that can be recordedis 20 seconds.

In this condition, the user speaks a desired call message to themicrophone of the hand set 12, and the call message is recorded in thesub-area of the call message area of the audio DRAM 72, whichcorresponds to the registration number designated in step Q2. Forinstance, a call message "Mr. A, you have a phone call." is recorded inthe call message sub-area corresponding to the registration number 1!.Step Q5 is followed by step Q6 to determine whether the hand set 12 hasbeen returned in place. If an affirmative decision (YES) is obtained instep Q6, the control flow goes to step Q8 in which the display 50provides a display "MESSAGE RECORDING COMPLETED". If a negative decision(NO) is obtained in step Q6, step Q7 is implemented to determine whether20 seconds have passed. This determination is made on the basis of theclock pulses generated by the clock generator 38. Steps Q6 and Q7 arerepeatedly implemented until the hand set 10 is returned or 20 secondshave passed. Step Q8 is also implemented when 20 seconds have passed.

If the key "7" labelled "SET" of the SELECTOR keys 46 is pressed whilethe display "MESSAGE RECORDING COMPLETED" is provided on the display 50,the routine of FIG. 12 is again executed to permit the user to recordanother call message. If the STOP key 52 is pressed after all callmessages have been recorded, the system returns from the MESSAGERECORDING mode to the normal telephone/facsimile communication mode.

In the present second embodiment, too, the reception processing routineof FIG. 7 is executed, and the D/R ON mode interruption routine of FIG.8 is executed when the facsimile system 10 is placed in the D/R ON mode.In the present embodiment, however, step W9 is eliminated, and step W6is directly followed by step W10 so that the ON and OFF times of thecall signal CI are measured and stored in the RAM 28 until two long-OFFstates are detected. Thus, the ON and OFF pattern of the call signalcorresponding to one period is detected in the interruption routine ofFIG. 8, and step R3 of FIG. 7 is implemented on the basis of thedetected pattern of the received call signal. In step R3, the number ofthe ON and OFF times of one period of the received call signal which arestored in the RAM 28 in the interruption routine of FIG. 8 is comparedwith the numbers of the ON and OFF times of each of the three callsignals which are stored in the EEPROM 70 in step S14 of the routine ofFIGS. 4 and 5. If the number of the ON and OFF times stored in the RAM28 is not equal to that of any of the three call signals whose patternsare stored in the EEPROM 70, the display 50 provides an indication thatthe pattern of the received call signal is different from the patternsof any call signals stored in the EEPROM 70. If the number of the ON andOFF times stored in the RAM 28 is equal to that of any call signalstored in the EEPROM 70, then the individual ON and OFF times stored inthe RAM 28 are compared with those of that call signal in the EEPROM 70.If the ON and OFF times in the RAM 28 are the same as those of the callsignal in question in the EEPROM 70, the display 50 provides anindication to that effect. If the pattern of the received call signal inthe RAM 28 is the same as the pattern of the facsimile reception callsignal, the display 50 provides an indication to that effect.

In step R4 following step R3, a determination is made as to whether thereceived call signal is found to have the facsimile reception pattern instep R3. If an affirmative decision (YES) is obtained in step R4, thecontrol flow goes to step R5. If a negative decision (NO) is obtained instep R4, the control flow goes to step R4-1 indicated in the flow chartof FIG. 13. Thus, the present second embodiment is different from thefirst embodiment in which the control flow goes directly to step R6 ifthe negative decision (NO) is obtained in step R4. Step R4-1 is providedto determine whether the received call signal has the pattern other thanthe facsimile reception pattern, which is stored in the EEPROM 70. If anegative decision (NO) is obtained in step R4-1, the control flow goesto step R6 of FIG. 7. If an affirmative decision (YES) is obtained instep R4-1, step R4-2 is then implemented in which the call messagecorresponding to the received call signal is read out from theappropriate call message sub-area of the audio DRAM 72, and the speaker26 is activated to provide the call message. In step R4-2, the callmessage stored in the call message sub-area at the registration number"1" of the audio DRAM 72 is generated if the received call signal hasthe pattern stored in the memory area at the registration number "1" ofthe EEPROM 70. Similarly, the call message stored in the call messagesub-area at the registration number "2" of the audio DRAM 72 isgenerated if the received call signal has the pattern stored in thememory area at the registration number "2" of the EEPROM 70. Step R4-2may be modified so that the call message and the ringing sound aregenerated alternately, or one after the other. Step R4-2 is followed bystep R4-3 for manual reception processing so that the user called by thecall message communicates with a calling party by picking up the handset 12.

In the present embodiment, too, the D/R SET mode may be easilyestablished by using the FUNCTION key 44 and the SELECTOR keys 46, sothat the pattern of the call signal CI calling the facsimile receptiontelephone number and the patterns of the calls signals CI calling thetelephone numbers used by Messrs. A and B are registered in the EEPROM70. In this case, the call signals CI calling the respective telephonenumbers are received from the telephone exchange company in response tocalls from a remote telephone transmitter or facsimile transmitter. Thisprocedure for registering the pattern of the call signals does notrequire the user to recognize the patterns of the received call signalswhile listening to the ringing sounds generated in response to thereceived call signals.

In the second embodiment described above, the EEPROM 70 functions as thepattern data memory for storing the pattern data representative of thepatterns of the calls signals, and the FUNCTION key 44 and the SELECTORkeys 46 constitute the operator-controlled means for establishing theregistering mode in which the pattern data can be stored in the patterndata memory 70. Further, portions of the CPU 24, RAM 28 and ROM 30assigned to implement step S3 constitute the pattern detecting means fordetecting the patterns of the call signals received while the facsimilesystem 10 is placed in the D/R SET mode or registering mode. It is alsonoted that portions of the CPU 24, RAM 28 and ROM 30 assigned toimplement step S14 cooperate with the function and numeral keys 42 toconstitute the pattern registering means operable in the registeringmode (D/R SET mode), for registering the patterns of the call signals asdetected by the pattern detecting means, in the pattern data memory 70as the pattern data in relation to the corresponding telephone numbers.Further, portions of the CPU 24, RAM 28 and ROM 30 assigned to implementsteps R3, R4 and R4-1 constitute the pattern determining means operablewhen the facsimile system is not placed in the registering mode, forcomparing the pattern of the received call signal with each patternstored in the pattern data memory, and thereby determining the telephonenumber being called by the received call signal.

The present second embodiment is adapted to store in the audio DRAM 72the call messages corresponding to the call signals which call thetelephone numbers used for telephone communication by respective users,so that the call messages are read out from the audio DRAM 72 andproduced by the speaker 26 to vocally inform the users that they arereceiving a telephone call. This arrangement permits the users to moreeasily recognize the reception of a telephone call at their telephonenumbers, than the conventional arrangement in which only the ringingsound is generated according to the ON-OFF pattern of the call signalcalling the specific telephone number. The present arrangement isconvenient when a single facsimile system with a telephone hand set isused by two or more users.

There will next be described a third embodiment of this invention byreference to FIG. 14.

In this third embodiment, the RAM 28 stores the patterns of all the callsignals CI available from a telephone exchange company, or some of thosecall signals which are typically used for the distinctive ringingservice. In this specific example, the RAM 28 stores pattern datarepresentative of the patterns indicated at (a) through (d) in FIG. 17,which have been described. Described more specifically, the RAM 28stores data representative of the ON times and OFF times of theindividual call signals. The pattern data of the call signals may bestored in the RAM 28 according to the routine illustrated in FIG. 6, forexample.

The flow chart of FIG. 14 illustrates a routine for registering thepattern of the facsimile reception call signal in the present thirdembodiment. This routine is executed in the D/R SET mode which isestablished by the FUNCTION key 44 and the SELECTOR keys 46 as describedabove. The routine is initiated with step S21 to determine whether anyof the numeral keys "1" through "4" of the SELECTOR keys 46 has beenpressed. If an affirmative decision (YES) is obtained in step S21, thecontrol flow goes to step S22 in which the display 50 provides anindication of the call signal designated by the numeral key "1", "2","3" or "4", and the ON-times and OFF-times of the designated call signalare read out from the RAM 28, so that the ringing sound is generated bythe speaker 26 according to the ON-times and OFF-times of the designatedcall signal. The numeral keys "1" through "4" of the SELECTOR keys 46are assigned to designate the respective call signals indicated at (a)through (d) in FIG. 17. When these numeral keys "1" through "4" arepressed, the display 50 provides indications "1. STANDARD", "2. DOUBLE","3. TRIPLE A" and "4. TRIPLE B", respectively, and the speaker 26 areactivated to generate the ringing sounds according to the ON-OFFpatterns as indicated at (a) through (d) in FIG. 17, respectively.

On the other hand, the speaker 26 is activated to generate the ringingsound when the call signal which calls the facsimile reception telephonenumber is received while the facsimile system 10 is placed in the D/RSET mode. When the ringing sound is generated in response to thisfacsimile reception call signal, one of the numeral keys "1" through "4"of the SELECTOR keys 46 is pressed to activate the speaker 26 togenerate the corresponding ringing sound. That is, the ringing sound inresponse to the received facsimile reception call signal and the ringingsound according to the pattern data stored in the RAM 28 are bothgenerated by the speaker 26, so that the user can easily determinewhether the ringing sound generated by pressing one of the numeral keys"1" through "4" is the same as the ringing sound generated in responseto the received call signal for the facsimile reception telephonenumber. It will be understood that the facsimile system 10 isautomatically placed in the MANUAL reception mode when the system isplaced in the D/R SET mode. It is noted that the ringing sound generatedaccording to the received facsimile reception call signal and theringing sound generated according to the pattern data stored in the RAM28 have different frequencies, so that the user can distinguish theseringing sounds from each other.

Step S22 is followed by step S23 to determine whether the STOP key 52has been pressed. If an affirmative decision (YES) is obtained in stepS23, step S28 is implemented to turn off the speaker 26, and step S27 isthen implemented. The STOP key 52 is pressed if the user finds out thatthe ringing sound generated according to the received call signal is notthe same as any one of the ringing sounds generated upon pressing of thenumeral keys "1" through "4" of the SELECTOR keys 46, that is, generatedaccording to the call signal patterns stored in the RAM 28. In otherwords, the STOP key 52 is pressed if the call signal received does nothave the facsimile reception pattern. If a negative decision (NO) isobtained in step S23, the control flow goes to step S24 to determinewhether the numeral key "7" labelled "SET" of the SELECTOR keys 46 hasbeen pressed. If a negative decision (NO) is obtained in step S24, thecontrol flow returns to step S21, so that the user press another of thenumeral keys "1" through "4" of the SELECTOR keys 46. In the followingstep S22, the call signal designated by the new numeral key is indicatedon the display 50, and the speaker 26 is activated to generate theringing sound according the call signal pattern stored in the RAM 28. Instep S21, the numeral key "6" or "10" of the SELECTOR keys 46 whichfunctions as the shift key can be used in place of the numeral keys "1"through "4", to change the call signal whose pattern data are used toactivate the speaker 26 in step S22.

If the user finds out that the ringing sound generated according to thereceived call signal is the same as the ringing sound generatedaccording to one of the call signal patterns stored in the RAM 28, theuser presses the numeral key "7" labelled "SET" of the SELECTOR keys 46,and an affirmative decision (YES) is obtained in step S24, whereby stepS25 is implemented to turn off the speaker 26. Step S25 is followed bystep S26 in which the ON and OFF times of the call signal currentlyindicated on the display 50 are read out from the RAM 28 and stored inthe EEPROM 32. At this time, the D/R SET mode is automatically changedto the D/R ON mode. Step S26 is followed by step S27 in which thedisplay 50 provides an indication "MANUAL MODE", indicating that thefacsimile system 10 is now placed in the MANUAL reception mode.

The facsimile reception pattern of the call signal thus registered inthe EEPROM 32 is used in step R4 of the routine of FIG. 7 which isexecuted in the same manner as described above with respect to the firstembodiment.

In the present third embodiment, the pattern of a call signal (e.g.,facsimile reception call signal) is registered by performing thefollowing steps: establishing the D/R SET mode by using the FUNCTION key44 and the SELECTOR keys 46; receiving the facsimile reception callsignal transmitted from a telephone exchange company in response to acall from a remote telephone or facsimile transmitter; pressing theappropriate one of the numeral keys "1" through "4" of the SELECTOR keys46 while listening to the ringing sound generated from the speaker 26according to the received call signal; and pressing the numeral key "7"labelled "SET" of the SELECTOR keys 46 if the ringing sound generatedfrom the speaker 26 according to the pattern of one of the call signalswhich is stored in the RAM 28 and which is designated by the pressed oneof the numeral keys "1" through "4" of the SELECTOR keys 46 is the sameas the ringing sound generated according to the received call signal.Thus, the speaker 26 generates the two ringing sounds according to thereceived call signal and one of the calls signals stored in the RAM 28which are selected or designated by the respective numeral keys "1"through "4" of the SELECTOR keys 46. The user listens to these tworinging sounds to determine whether the two sounds have the same ON-OFFpattern. The present arrangement facilitates the registration of thepattern of the facsimile reception call signal in the EEPROM 32.

In the present third embodiment, the RAM 28 functions as a first patterndata memory for storing pattern data representative of the patterns ofthe call signals which call the respective telephone numbers, and theEEPROM 32 functions as a second pattern data memory for storing patterndata representative of the facsimile reception call signal. Further, theFUNCTION key 44 and the SELECTOR keys 46 cooperate to constituteoperator-controlled mode setting means for establishing a registeringmode in the form of the D/R SET mode in which the pattern data of thepattern of the facsimile reception call signal are stored in the secondpattern data memory 32. The numeral keys "1" through "4" of the SELECTORkeys 44 function as operator-controlled data input means for designatingone of the patterns of the call signals stored in the first pattern datamemory 28. It is also noted that portions of the CPU 24, RAM 28 and ROM30 assigned to implement step S26 cooperate with the numeral key "7"labelled "SET" of the SELECTOR keys 46, to constitute patternregistering means operable in the registering mode, for registering thepattern designated by the operator-controlled data input means, in thesecond pattern data memory in relation to the corresponding telephonenumber. Further, portions of the CUP 24, RAM 28 and ROM 30 assigned toimplement step S22 cooperate with sound generating means in the form ofthe speaker 26 to constitute pattern indicating means operable in theregistering mode, for providing an indication of the patterns of thecall signals stored in the first pattern data memory 28, morespecifically, for generating the ringing sounds corresponding to thosecall signals. Portions of the CPU 24, RAM 28 and ROM 30 assigned toimplement steps R3 and R4 of FIG. 7 and the interruption routine of FIG.8 constitute pattern determining means which is operable when thefacsimile system 10 is not placed in the registering mode (i.e., placedin one of the reception modes), for comparing the pattern of a currentlyreceived call signal with each of the patterns stored in the firstpattern data memory, and thereby determining the telephone number beingcalled by the call signal actually received.

Referring next to FIGS. 15 and 16, there will be described a fourthembodiment of the present invention.

The facsimile system 10 according to this fourth embodiment is adaptedto execute a routine of FIG. 15 for registering the pattern of thefacsimile reception call signal, in place of the routine of FIG. 14. Asdescribed below in detail, the routine of FIG. 15 is formulated toactivate the image recorder 14 to produce a hard copy of the pattern ofeach of the call signals stored in the RAM 28, contrary to the thirdembodiment wherein the speaker 26 is activated to generate the ringingsound according to the designated call signal stored in the RAM 28.

The routine of FIG. 15 is initiated with step S21 described above withrespect to the routine of FIG. 14. Step S21 is followed by steps S22-1,22-2 and 22-3, which are substituted for step S22 in the routine of FIG.14. In step S22-1, the display 50 provides one of the indications "1.STANDARD", "2. DOUBLE", "3. TRIPLE A" and "4. TRIPLE B", depending uponthe key pressed in step S21. As in the routine of FIG. 14, the patternof the call signal indicated on the display 50 is registered as thefacsimile reception pattern in the EEPROM 32 in step S26 if the numeralkey "7" labelled "SET of the SELECTOR keys 46 is pressed, that is, ifthe affirmative decision (YES) is obtained in step S24.

Step S22-1 is followed by step S22-2 to determine whether a HELP key 62provided on the panel 40 has been pressed. If an affirmative decision(YES) is obtained in step S22-2, the control goes to step S22-3 in whichthe image recorder 14 is activated to produce a hard copy 64 asindicated in FIG. 16. The hard copy 64 is a printed sheet on which theON-OFF patterns of the call signals stored in the RAM 28 are printed,together with the identifications of these call signals such as "1.STANDARD" for the call signal indicated at (a) in FIG. 17. The speaker26 is operated on the basis of the pattern data stored in the RAM 28.

Thus, the present embodiment is adapted to provide the user with thehard copy 64, if the HELP key 62 is pressed. The hard copy 64familiarizes the user with the specific patterns of the call signalswhich call the respective telephone numbers and which are stored in theRAM 28. The user observes this hard copy 64 when the user listens to theringing sound generated according to the received facsimile receptioncall signal, so that the user correctly recognizes the ON-OFF pattern ofthe received call signal. In the present fourth embodiment, portions ofthe CPU 24, RAM 28 AND ROM 30 assigned to implement steps S22-2 andS22-3 cooperate with recording means in the form of the image recorder14 to constitute pattern indicating means for indicating the ON-OFFpatterns (ON times and OFF times) of the call signals in the form of thehard copy 64. The HELP key 62 functions as operator-controlled means foractivating the image recorder 14 to produce the hard copy 64.

While the present invention has been described in detail in itspresently preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that theinvention may be otherwise embodied.

Although the illustrated embodiments take the form of a facsimile systemhaving a facsimile transmitter and a facsimile receiver as well as thetelephone hand set 12, the principle of the present invention is equallyapplicable to a telephone set of distinctive ringing type withoutfacsimile transmitter and receiver, wherein the patterns of call signalscalling different telephone numbers are registered for differentautomatic processing operations upon reception of the call signals, asin the second embodiment.

While the FUNCTION key 44 and the SELECTOR keys 46 are used to changethe D/R mode (to select one of the D/R ON, D/R OFF and D/R SET modes), asingle key may be used to change the D/R mode, like the MODE key 48 isused to select one of the reception modes (AUTO, F/T, MANUAL and TAD).

Although the routine of FIG. 4 to register the facsimile receptionpattern of the call signal is adapted to require the user to pick up thehand set 12 or press the HOOK key 54 and press the START key 56, theroutine of FIG. 4 may be suitably modified. For example, theregistration may be effected without any key operation or by using asingle key.

In the illustrated first and second embodiments, the ON and OFF times ofthe call signal are measured to register the pattern of the signal byusing the counters C(ON) and C(OFF). However, the ON and OFF times maybe measured by using the clock pulses generated by the clock generator38.

While the illustrated first and second embodiments use the routine ofFIGS. 4-5 for registering the pattern or patterns of the call signal orsignals and the separate reception processing routine of FIG. 7, theseroutines may be integrated into a single routine, which may beformulated such that the determination as to whether the D/R OFF mode isselected is effected following step S1, and steps S3, S4 and S9 arerepeatedly implemented to detect the pattern of the received call signalCI if the D/R OFF mode is not selected, and such that steps S5-S16 areimplemented to register the call signal patterns if the D/R SET mode isselected, or steps R3-R12 are implemented for effecting receptionprocessing if the D/R ON mode is selected.

In the second embodiment, different call messages are generateddepending upon the telephone numbers called by the respective callsignals. However, the call messages may be replaced by ringing soundswhich are clearly distinct from each other to the listeners, or anindication of the called telephone number or the recipient of a phonecall on the display 50.

While the EEPROM 70 used in the second embodiment has three memory areasfor storing the patterns of the call signals other than the facsimilereception call signal, the number of such memory areas may be suitablychanged. Further, the EEPROM 70 and audio DRAM 72 may be replaced byother data storage media or memory means.

In the routine of FIGS. 4 and 5, the pattern of the call signal storedin the RAM 28 is registered as the facsimile reception pattern in theEEPROM 32 (step S14) immediately after the START key 56 is pressed (stepS13). If any pattern has already been stored in the EEPROM 32, the newpattern stored in the RAM 28 is substituted for the pattern alreadystored in the EEPROM 32. However, step S14 may be preceded by a step toask the user as to whether the already stored pattern should be replacedby the new pattern, or a step to inform the user by an alarm sound orvoice message that the facsimile reception pattern is already stored inthe EEPROM 32, and a step in which the START key 56 or other key ispressed to replace the old pattern by the new pattern. Similarmodifications are possible with respect to the registration of the callsignal patterns and the recording of the call messages in the routinesof FIGS. 11 and 12, and also the registration of the facsimile receptioncall signal pattern in the third and fourth embodiments of FIGS. 14 and15.

In the third and fourth embodiments, one of the four call signals storedin the RAM 28 is selected as the facsimile reception call signal.However, the number and the patterns of the call signals stored in theRAM 28 may be suitably changed. Suitable operator-controlled means maybe provided to change the already stored call signal patterns or enternew call signal patterns, according to the call signal patternsavailable from a telephone exchange company.

While step S22 of the third embodiment of FIG. 14 is formulated toautomatically activate the speaker 26 to generate the ringing sound, itis possible that the speaker 26 is activated only when the HELP key 62is pressed, like the image recorder 14 which is activated only when theHELP key 62 is pressed in the fourth embodiment. In the thirdembodiment, the ringing sound corresponding to the call signaldesignated by the key pressed in step S21 is generated in step S22, theringing sounds corresponding to all the call signals stored in the RAM28 may be generated, one after another in a predetermined order, at apredetermined time interval.

Although step S22-3 of the fourth embodiment of FIG. 15 is adapted toproduce the hard copy 64, the display 50 may provide an indication ofthe ON-OFF pattern of the call signal designated in step S21, orindications of the ON-OFF patterns of all the call signals stored in theRAM 28.

It is to be understood that the present invention may be embodied withvarious other changes, modifications and improvements, which may occurto those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scopeof the invention defined in the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A telephone set incorporated in a facsimilesystem of distinctive ringing type of a called party capable ofeffecting selective facsimile and telephone communications with a remotecalling party calling one of a plurality of telephone numbers of saidtelephone set, said plurality of telephone numbers being called byrespective call signals having respective different patterns, said callsignals including at least one facsimile call signal calling at leastone facsimile reception telephone number for said facsimilecommunication, and at least one telephone call signal calling at leastone telephone communication telephone number of said telephonecommunication, said telephone set comprising:a pattern data memory forstoring pattern data representative of the pattern of each of said atleast one facsimile call signal and said at least one telephone callsignal; sound generating means for providing audible indications of saidplurality of telephone numbers called by said respective call signals;operator-controlled means for establishing a registering mode in whichsaid pattern data representative of the patterns of said at least onefacsimile call signal and said at least one telephone call signal arestored in said pattern data memory, a distinctive ringing ON mode and adistinctive ringing OFF mode; pattern detecting means for detecting thepatterns of said at least one facsimile call signal and said at leastone telephone call signal when said at least one facsimile call signaland said at least one telephone call signal are received while thetelephone set is placed in said registering mode; pattern registeringmeans, operable in said registering mode, for registering the pattern ofeach of said at least one facsimile call signal is detected by saidpattern detecting means, in said pattern data memory as said patterndata in relation to the corresponding one of said at least one facsimilecommunication telephone number, said pattern registering meansregistering each of said at least one telephone call signal as detectedby said pattern detecting means, in said pattern data memory as saidpattern data in relation to the corresponding one of said at least onetelephone communication telephone number; pattern determining means,operable when said telephone set is placed in said distinctive ringingON mode, for comparing the pattern of a call signal which is currentlyreceived with each pattern represented by said pattern data stored insaid pattern data memory, and thereby determining the telephone numberbeing called by the received call signal; and selective call signalprocessing means for initiating the facsimile communication with saidremote calling party, without activating said sound generating means, ifsaid pattern determining means determines that said call signalcurrently received in said distinctive ringing ON mode is one of said atleast one facsimile call signal; said selective call signal processingmeans inhibiting an operation of said pattern determining means in saiddistinctive ringing OFF mode.
 2. A telephone set incorporated in afacsimile system according to claim 1, wherein said selective callsignal processing means activates said sound generating means, if saidpattern determining means determines that said call signal currentlyreceived in said distinctive ringing ON mode is not one of said at leastone facsimile call signal, so that the audible indication of thetelephone number called by said call signal currently received isgenerated by said sound generating means.
 3. A telephone setincorporated in a facsimile system according to claim 1, wherein saidselective call signal processing means has an auto reception mode whichis selectable if said call signal currently received in said distinctiveringing ON mode is not one of said at least one facsimile call signal,said selective call signal processing means activating said soundgenerating means, in said auto reception mode, according to said callsignal which is not one of said at least one facsimile call signal, andthen initiating the facsimile communication with said remote callingparty.
 4. A telephone set incorporated in a facsimile system accordingto claim 1, wherein said selective call signal processing means has amanual reception mode which is selectable in said distinctive ringingOFF mode, said selective call signal processing means activating saidsound generating means, in said manual reception mode, according to saidcall signal currently received.
 5. A telephone set incorporated in afacsimile system according to claim 1, wherein said sound generatingmeans comprises ringing means for generating ringing sounds havingrespective patterns corresponding to the patterns of said respectivecall signals.
 6. A telephone set incorporated in a facsimile systemaccording to claim 1, wherein said sound generating means comprisesmessage generating means for generating call messages indicating saidplurality of telephone numbers, respectively.